FFO, WIPocalypse and Smalls for July

I just haven't been online, no real reason, time just seems to be running away but I'm not actually busy ... I do apologise for not blog visiting, I noticed there's lots of Olympic stitching happening so I must pop by to read all your news. 

Here's my very late FFO post, my slightly late WIPocalypse post and my on time Smalls post - hee hee

I am up to Day 6 with my 12 Days of Christmas SAL. It feels weird to be half way through the year. It is easier to stitch the beads on now the light is bright, why did I use invisable thead! I'm doing this SAL with the members of Needlecraft Haven and Jo's Group on Facebook. 

I'm also doing Jo's JCS SAL on Facebook. I'm a bit out of sync but I have finished Ursula Michael Designs My Friendly Gnome which was the choice for May.

At Needlecraft Haven we have seasonal challenges. Each season there is a Christmas themed design and a general design to stitch. I have stitched the spring challenge Belle Parole from La Comtesse but stitched the words individually instead of the main tree.

I found the fabric in my stash, lovely gold flecks and it did stitch up well but finishing was a bit tricky. I found the fabric so soft and it unravelled very easily making turning and closing a challenge. 

These were my WIPocalypse plans for July along with how I did: 

• 12 Days of Christmas - Seven Swans-a-swimming - kitted up
• JCS ornament SAL - My Big Toe Designs Merry Christmas - kitted up
• JCS ornament SAL - Carolyn Manning Designs - Caroling Friends -kitted up
• A wedding gift - finished
• A birthday gift - finished 
• Summer Challenges with Needlecraft Haven - one completed, one kitted up 

Not bad really as my focus was the two gifts, especially the wedding gift which I can share in September. The birthday gift can be shown next month. 

Here's my August plans (is it really August!):

• 12 Days of Christmas - Seven Swans-a-swimming
• 12 Days of Christmas - Eight Maids-a-milking
• JCS ornament SAL - My Big Toe Designs - Merry Christmas
• JCS ornament SAL - Carolyn Manning Designs - Caroling Friends
• JCS ornament SAL  - Lisa LeAnn Designs - O Christmas Tree 
• Summer Exchange with Needlecraft Haven
• Summer Challenge with Needlecraft Haven 

As I have said before I'm going to look at my stitching calendar for 2022 in August/September to try to have a difference from just Christmas stitching. There are Christmas SALs I will still do but I need more variety. I might even set myself a finishing challenge .... oh! 

Looking at my post I did complete quite a bit this month, the wedding gift took a while. Hopefully next month I'll be posting on time. Thank you for visiting, it's lovely to read our comments. I'll leave you with a few photos from last weekend when our daughter and boyfriend came to stay, first time in 2021, we had such a lovely time. 

Gifted Gorgeousness in July

Oh my I'm way off my stitching plans, my reading plans too and I have no reason why, I just seem to be slow at everything including blogging and other online stuff. However nothing is a necessity and my life is not ruled by the internet so it will be what it is hee hee

That said I have one GG to share. I made this earlier in the year for my friend's special birthday. She lives in the USA and shares her birthday with Independence Day, however Mr Postie delayed my parcel so it has only just arrived. 

The design is Tulip Heart by Make Stuff Be Happy, a freebie design that was the Winter Challenge on Needlecraft Haven. I slightly changed the layout and made it into a tissue pouch, my very first attempt. 

I am a day late for Gifted Gorgeousness as it is the 15th of each month. It is still good to share our latest gifts. These can be gifts given or received, or any item made using fabric, threads, buttons, ribbon, chart, backing fabric that has been gifted.

This great idea is hosted each month by the lovely Jo at Serendipitous Stitching,  if you visit her blog you'll find the links to everyone's Gifted Gorgeousness posts. 

Although I have no more stitching gifts you might like to pop over to my other blog Aimetu's- wine, food and travel. Our son gifted us for Christmas a gin making day which we did last Saturday and our daughter and partner, also for Christmas, adopted us a vine . I've put the links to each post as the caption to the photos ... two great gifts from our great, now grown up, children. 

Bond Street Distillery - our gin making day

White Castle Vineyard - our adopted vine 

WIPocalypse June

 

WIPocalypse is all about stitching we want to do before the End of the World. Measi hosts this great idea at Measi's Musings. As well as sharing our stitching Measi asks month there is a question too, you'll find my answer later on in my post.

These my June plans: 

• 12 Days of Christmas - Five Gold Rings by Plum Street Samplers 
• 12 Days of Christmas - Six Geese A-laying
• JCS ornament SAL - Ursula Michael Designs My Friendly Gnome
• JCS ornament SAL - My Big Toe Designs Merry Christmas 
• Starting a wedding gift
• A birthday gift
• Spring and Summer Challenges with Needlecraft Haven 
• December Flip It

I managed to finish the two 12 Days pieces, the JCS ornament for May and December Flip It. 

I have caught up on much of my stitching this month although we have been away. I have also stitched a bit on the Needlecraft Haven challenges and the birthday gift. I have kitted up the wedding gift and some of my other small projects.

I need a day for finishing now, in fact I may set up my sewing machine as I have some larger projects to finish that have been waiting a long long time. Hopefully it will stitch nicely for me, if  not I think it may be time to look at changing it. 

This month's questions is about how our stitching is mid year, a half year review. I think I'm ok, I'm managing to keep up with the SALs I signed up for .... just, and I have completed the gifts for birthdays in the first part of the year in time. I'm pleased too to have finally finished Lizzie Kate's Flip Its. 

However, as I said in a previous post I am going to look at my stitching plans as it all seems to revolve around Christmas. All my SALs are Christmas based and it's easy in January to be very keen and there's always so much to sign up for. I am going to look at setting my year's plans  September and hopefully include more variety for 2022.

And so to my July plans - the birthday and wedding gifts have priority 

• 12 Days of Christmas - Seven Swans-a-swimming
• JCS ornament SAL - My Big Toe Designs Merry Christmas 
• JCS ornament SAL - Carolyn Manning Designs - Caroling Friends 
• A wedding gift
• A birthday gift
• Summer Challenges with Needlecraft Haven 

June Smalls

 

Mary at Mary's Thread hosts the Smalls SAL on the last Friday of the month we share our small stitching items that we have completed but not necessarily fully finished. Mary has a link up post on her blog so we can pop over to see everyone's work. 

I'm quite late with my smalls post for June, we have been away for a few days. I bought Hubby a driving experience for his birthday last December and as restrictions have lifted slightly he finally managed to go last Friday. We then went on to Portishead for a weekend break with friends, something we all enjoyed and certainly needed. 

I have finally finished my Flip Its, I am a little unsure about the incorrect grammar but the designs are lovely so hopefully I will not be too ocd about the missing capital letters. I'm still unsure on finishing them. 

I did manage to stitch May's ornament for Jo's JCS Christmas Ornament SAL on Facebook. Ursula Michael's My Friendly Gnome is so cute, it was a joy to stitch too, quite a quick stitch.

My final two smalls are my Day 6s for the 12 Days of Christmas SAL with Needlecraft Haven and with the Facebook group. The Plum Street Sampler and Jardin Prive designs are quite different. 

I have quite a few pieces to finish now as I have a couple of items I cannot show as they are gifts. Hopefully I will be able to have a finishing day soon to get them all done, although we now have an inflatable hot tub in the garden. It's so nice and an hour easily slips away, so peaceful sitting in the warm water in the garden just taking a moment. 

I better write my WIPocalypse post for June as I'm a bit late for that too ... oops!

Gifted Gorgeousness in June

 Whoo hoo I have finally finished all my Flip It's. These were gifted to me by Justine and I'll be gifting them on to my friend in Canada. Here's my December finish and the full set.

Originally I was going to make them into a banner for our gazebo to separate us a bit from our neighbours. However last year, during our lockdowns, they had so many parties and visitors I was getting quite anxious as their seating is literally the other side of the fence so Hubby put up some full size rattan screening which is much better. Therefore my banner is not needed ... I'm going to have a good think about what to do.

In fact I'm going to have a good think about my stitching in general and this year I am hoping to  set my year's stitching plans at the end of August, maybe early September. I will have some of this year's SALs to finish but setting plans at the end of a year and start of the next has often meant most of my stitching has been Christmas focused and I'd like a change. I also have some finishing to do so I may set that as part of my plans. 

Sorry Jo I went off topic ... thank you for hosting another GG, I do look forward to posting each month on the 15th and seeing everyone's projects. The list of Gifted Gorgeousness participants is on Jo's blog Serendipitous Stitching.  

I already have a GG piece for July, it's being posted today .... it must be someone's birthday soon then 😉

Fully Finished Objects in June

 

Rachel, Ten Hour Stitcher, hosts Fully Finished Objects for us to show and tell about the crafty items we have completely finished.

I have completed a couple of items but am still playing catch up. My needle certainly seems to have slowed down, as do my eyes as I'm very behind in blog reading. I seem to be out of routine with quite a few things! 

This is my first finish, it was a spring challenge at Needlecraft Haven. It was Lotus Mandala by The World of Stitches.

I used it to cover the label on a cardboard box I have. It came with some candles but I use it for my seed packets. 

My other fully finish is my 12 Days of Christmas piece. This is my Jardin Prive design, I have not made up my Plum Street Sampler yet. 

Thanks Rachel for hosting, it does spur me on to get things finished I just need to spur on with my stitching now.

WIPocalypse May

WIPocalypse is all about stitching we want to do before the End of the World. Measi hosts this great idea at Measi's Musings. As well as sharing our stitching Measi asks month there is a question too, you'll find my answer later on in my post.

So how did my May stitching go? Here were my plans:

• 12 Days of Christmas - Five Gold Rings by Jardin Prive and Plum Street Samplers 
• JCS ornament SAL - Ursula Michael Designs My Friendly Gnome
• Starting a wedding gift
• Spring Challenges with Needlecraft Haven 
• December Flip It

Well it was a bit of a slow stitching month, I have not been very interested in my projects maybe because they are all Christmas and a bit samey. I haven't been in blogland much either, apologises, I will try to catch up with everyone's news. 

I have stitched Jardin Prive Five Gold Rings and I have started my Plum Street Sampler piece. I haven't stitched the Friendly Gnome or started the wedding gift, but I have stitched the spring challenges. I have even finished one completely. Still no work on December Flip It. 

Here's my Spring Challenge finish, I have a cardboard box that came with some candles I bought and I now use for keeping my seeds in. The challenge design was a Mandala from World of Stitches and the colours looked great with my box so I fixed it over the product label. 

I have stitched some of the other challenge designs, you can see them in my previous post - May Smalls. 

This month's question is 'what was the first project you ever stitched?'

This was an embroidery kit that my Godmother gave me for my 10th birthday. It was an oval design of a girl on a swing. I remember the design was printed on the fabric and had an oval frame with it. I have since taken it out of the frame and as you can see it has rust marks and fading. I should press it and look for another frame, still oval, maybe a white one. I do remember my Gran patiently showing me how to do the knots. 

And so to my June plans - I just hope I am more productive this month hee hee 

• 12 Days of Christmas - Five Gold Rings by Plum Street Samplers 
• 12 Days of Christmas - Six Geese A-laying
• JCS ornament SAL - Ursula Michael Designs My Friendly Gnome
• JCS ornament SAL - My Big Toe Designs Merry Christmas 
• Starting a wedding gift
• A birthday gift
• Spring and Summer Challenges with Needlecraft Haven 
• December Flip It